Day 1742

I paid a final visit to the telescope store before it shuts its doors for good at the end of the month. I didn't plan to buy anything and very little of the remaining merchandise even tempted me. I guess this was more of a symbolic visit to pay homage to all the esoteric small businesses like this that are rapidly disappearing from the landscape. Maybe I was hoping to rekindle my interest in astronomy as well. It's amazing in a way that a store that only sells astronomical telescopes managed to stay in business in Dallas for as long as it did. There isn't a big market for telescopes to begin with and with all the haze and light pollution in a big city, you're lucky to see the moon on most nights.

Visiting the store was kind of sad. One of the owners appeared to be discussing financial problems on the phone and the remaining merchandise was mostly of Chinese origin. Maybe that's where good, semi-affordable telescopes come from these days, but I would still prefer a genuine made-in-America Questar. I couldn't afford a Questar when I was younger and I still can't afford one today. They still make these astronomical Ferraris though. Right here in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Dash had an upset stomach last night and woke me up three three times to go outside. The first two times he just sniffed around the yard and did nothing. As soon as I got back in bed, he would be scratching at the back door to go out again. The third time he finally pooped and we all went back to sleep. I'm sure Dash ate a June bug or cicada again. I don't think this dog will ever learn that these things aren't good for him.

Today was busy, but I'm almost positive than in a day or two I'll completely forget what I was working on. Much of my work just isn't that memorable these days. There is a routine that almost never varies. I get up, make the bed, walk the dogs, eat breakfast, wash the dishes, and then reluctantly turn on the computer to see what I need to do for the day. I finished my web site revisions and writing assignments a little earlier than I expected this afternoon, which is why I went to the telescope store.

Tomorrow, both dogs go to the vet. Dash needs to get his blood retested to check his thyroid levels. Hopefully, with no food after 10 PM tonight, this fasting blood test will provide the vet with a usable sample. Last week's sample wasn't usable because there were Lipids in his blood. Maybe I should quit giving the dogs a little dollop of whipping cream as a treat when I make my coffee in the morning. Dot needs to get her DHPP vaccination as well, which will protect her from parvo, distemper, canine hepatitis and parainfluenza. These back and forth visits to the vet will take a lot of time, so hopefully my workload will be lighter tomorrow.

A good night's sleep would be nice tonight. I'm not counting on it though. I'm beginning to think that there's a better chance of getting a Questar telescope than a good night's sleep.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1435

I haven't picked up the guitar in quite a while. It's been even longer since I've taken the telescope outside on a clear evening to look at Jupiter's moons. I can't even remember the last time I spent an entire evening reading a good book. I enjoy these things. So why am I spending so much of my time doing things I don't enjoy? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

I'm not trying to make excuses here, but life has fundamentally changed. The changes aren't big, in and among themselves, but they add up. It takes longer to fix healthy meals than to pick up a burger at a drive-thru. It takes longer to maintain an exercise regime than to watch TV on the couch. It definitely takes longer to earn a decent living. Where are all the assistants and copy typists I used to have? Where is the world I used to love?

Personally, I think that globalization and technology have combined forces to destroy a delightfully inefficient world where jobs were abundant and expectations were low. It isn't really surprising to me that health care isn't working anymore and entire countries are going bankrupt. The complexity of modern life is simply staggering. It is still a world of amazing opportunities, but it's all getting a lot harder to understand and many of us are simply running in place.

I don't have a grand plan anymore. I just get up every morning and methodically move from one task to the next. I always start with the simple things, but sometimes that's as far as I get. I got about halfway done today. The dogs got a good walk. I made it to the gym. I got several articles finished and shipped off to the client. I got stuck on my website project though. I'm confused. I'll need to do a bit more research to figure this one out.

If I wasn't so busy, I might enjoy the beautiful Fall weather we're having a bit more. We're really getting some fabulous Fall color this year. Texas will never be New England, but I see a lot of brilliant reds and yellows as I walk through the park with the dogs. I wonder why the leaves turn bright colors one year and are dull brown the next? I have a feeling that I might be happier if questions like these were the only things I had to worry about.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1350

The trouble with working is that I'm too busy to get started on any of my ambitious bucket list projects and not busy enough to make any real money. I feel like I'm treading water at times, but I guess this is still better than drowning.

When I find the time, there's all sorts of things I'd like to try. I've been meaning to hook a camera up to a Meade Cassegrain telescope I acquired at a charity auction. I bought the necessary fittings to attach a camera about three years ago, but still haven't found the right opportunity to photograph anything. There are only about three or four days a year when the sky is sufficiently free of haze to take advantage of this super telephoto lens, but so far there has either been a dog emergency or a client crisis whenever the ideal day arrives.

I need to make a cutting board for the kitchen. For some reason, all the wooden cutting boards I've seen available in cooking stores are the wrong size. I found a local specialty hardwoods lumber company on the Internet, but have never found the time to spend several hours searching for a perfectly proportioned piece of rosewood or mahogany. It doesn't help matters that I will also have to buy a router and learn how to use it in order to create the kind of cutting board I really want.

I'd like to put rock sliders on the Defender 90, build a model train layout, and start recording my songs again, but I'll openly acknowledge that some of these things will never happen. There are always practical necessities like painting the house and caulking cracks and crevices so bugs can't get in that supersede the fun stuff. I guess I could start on some of my bucket list projects if I didn't go to the gym several times a week, but the workouts have become a practical necessity as well. Too many of my friends have already had heart attacks. I don't want to be the next one.

When I was walking the dogs this morning, one of my neighbors brought me up to date on the Summer's ongoing neighborhood disputes. I'm glad I really don't keep up with these things. I try to pretend that the park behind my house is out in the wilderness somewhere, and it is always distressing to realize that it is just a small patch of green in the middle of a big city. I would like to live in the middle of forty acres of land with no neighbors at all. The trouble with this type of arrangement though, is that there are seldom good veterinarians nearby.

When I was at the gym today, I discovered something else that is murder on my carpel tunnel hands. The gym has a really nice basketball court, so I thought I'd shoot a few baskets while I was there. Yikes! This used a few wrist muscles that I haven't moved in a while. My hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be, but I did manage to dunk a few.

Cammy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day